St Mary's Guildhall earns finalist spot in major tourism awards

St Mary’s Guildhall has been recognised as one of the region’s top visitor attractions for a fourth year running after reaching the finals of the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2026.

 

The 14th-century venue is up for the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year prize at next year’s ceremony, which will see other top destinations across the West Midlands celebrated for their contributions to the region’s vibrant visitor economy.

 

The Guildhall has enjoyed success at the awards in each of the years it has been managed by the team at No Ordinary Hospitality since reopening as a major visitor attraction.

 

The historic city centre venue claimed a trio of top awards at the most recent edition, taking home Gold for International Tourism, Accessible & Inclusive Tourism, and Silver for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year – before winning Bronze in the International Tourism category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025.

 

The 700-year-old venue has also picked up Silver in the regional Accessible & Inclusive Tourism category in 2024, after claiming the Gold prize in 2023.

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Immersive "living exhibition" celebrating South Asian culture in Britian to open in Coventry

A powerful new “living exhibition” inspired by one Coventry family’s story will celebrate South Asian heritage and its impact on modern Britain when it opens at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum next month.

 

Stories That Made Us - Roots, Resilience, Representation, opening Friday, November 14 , invites visitors to step inside a series of immersive rooms exploring key moments in time as South Asian communities adapted to social, political and cultural shifts in the UK over five decades.

 

Visitors will walk through four room settings, each filled with real stories of migration, activism and creativity brought to life through an ambitious production featuring renowned artists and contributors.

 

The exhibition draws on curator and artist Hardish Virk’s ‘Stories That Made Us’ Collection and Coventry Archives’ ‘Virk Collection’, showcasing photographs, books, magazines, posters, vinyl records, cassettes and personal memorabilia alongside oral histories, radio broadcasts, music and film that bring the South Asian experience to life.

 

The gallery on Jordan Well said it is one of its “most ambitious” projects in terms of scale and detail.

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Coventry City Council is inviting you to take part in a unique and powerful creative project this November. You can do this as a family, a school, a community group, a faith group or even on your own.

 

Join internationally acclaimed artist Olivier Grossetête and his team in constructing a spectacular large-scale cardboard structure that commemorates the 85th Coventry Blitz and celebrates the community spirit that helped rebuild the city.

 

No prior experience needed just bring your enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck in!

 

Dates: 10 to 15 November 2025
Location: Drapers’ Hall, Bayley Lane, Coventry City Centre – this is a fully accessible venue
Sessions: 2 workshops daily between 9.30am to 1pm, 12pm to 3.30pm and 5.30pm to 9pm
Duration: Approx. 3.5 hours per session
Capacity: Up to 45 participants per session

Participants are welcome to attend 1 or multiple workshops.

more information & sign up